Trump thinks he's gamed out the war.

[Ilsa]

He must think that if he sends 5,000 Marines to take Khark, that so many of their deaths will force Americans to "rally behind the war effort" which might politically save his ass, even though it does nothing to bring NATO in.

But too many of us older citizens witnessed this "in for a penny, in for a pound" macabre exercise in the 1960s and early 70s. The patriotic thing to do is to not spend our military on his vanity projects or Epstein distractions, while leaving us vulnerable to real threats.

Please tell me if my brain isn't sorting through this reasonably.

[OLDMDDEM]

1. You are fine and correct. I agree with you.

[SallyHemmings]

2. I wish he had a brain

[SergeStorms]

9. I believe he has a rudimentary brain.

Something akin to a nematoad, perhaps, or a sponge.
Functioning brain synapses would be a big plus.
Then again, he did attend the Wharton School.

[ananda]

10. Wharton in name only.

He paid others to take his tests.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. GWB had his Iraq "surge" and Nixon had his Cambodian incursion

Republicons are great for deployment strategies so they appear decisive

We've been cleaning out enemies for more than 125 years like it's built into our political system.

[Mysterian]

16. The whole needless Iraq debacle is AWOL Bush's baby

Not just the surge.

[RockRaven]

4. Also, "taking" an island just means concentrating a bunch of targets in a fixed place.

There is a reason that the navy hasn't sent a ship into the Strait and just parked it there (and no, that reason is not sea mines).

An island may be larger than a ship and unsinkable, but it trades those advantages for the disadvantage of being unmovable. And this particular island is decidedly in range of many many many Iranian weapons.

[tanyev]

5. I don't think Donald knows one day to the next what's going to come out of his mouth.

[wnylib]

8. He's totally burned out. He also just raced headlong into

a disaster that he can't gaslight his way out of.

No one is going to rescue him from his gut feeling BS.

[SusieCreamcheese]

12. Gut Feelings

Foreign policy based on his own irritable bowel movements.

[wnylib]

13. The fool thought that having the world's

most powerful weapons and military at his disposal would make him personally powerful enough act out any king-of-the world fantasies and whims that pop into his head.

[OGBuzz]

6. I watched a retired general this morning (can't recall the name) saying that....

U.S. will have to send in ground forces to track down that 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium. I think you are correct, and Kharg Island will be the staging ground for something much bigger.
I just finished watching Trump's Q&A from the WH, Senator Murphy was correct, this is "a senile old man who is losing his mind".

[BaronChocula]

7. Kudos to Chris Murphy

Gov. Walz recently said it's time for Democrats to abandon some norms. It looks like Murphy agrees and he's calling the pedo what he is without sugar-coating it. Ted Lieu too.

[H2O Man]

14. Hopefully not.

I've seen a couple of retired generals who have said it would be an error to try to place troops on Kharg. First, it would require an amphibious landing, since the battle ship coming from South Korea would be an easy target if it attempted to get closer than the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The distance between there and the island would make an amphibious landing almost impossible. More, if troops did land there, they would be sitting ducks, easily hit by weapons in the system of deep caves on the Iranian coast, as well as the missiles within the country that we cannot stop.

It is terrible that American military deaths have already happened. And for what?

Perhaps the greater danger for the world today is that, desperate for an off ramp, the president declares victory and cuts US involvement, leading to a greater destruction of Israel. Our "news" is not covering how much damage Iran has been inflicting on Israel. Should this continue, the chances of Netanyahu resorting to the use of nuks increases. Should that happen, life as we know it will change significantly.

[wnylib]

15. Ground troops to get that enriched uranium

was probably the plan from the start. This information was withheld from the public because of the predictable public backlash.

In the end, it might be the only way to ensure that Iran never gets a nuke weapon, but the implementation of the goal is f'd up. If that was the intent from the start (which I'm sure is what Israel wants), the US administration should have developed a coalition consensus and plan with other nations in advance.

Would not have been necessary if the doddering old man had not scrapped the negotiated treaty in his first term. He's got more hubris than brains.

[WestMichRad]

11. Yup.

I have a hard time thinking what to say about current events such as this, because he’s such a colossal fuckup in so many obvious ways. And his supporters continue to stand with him.

Extreme obscenities might be appropriate, but they’re inadequate to express how I feel. Maybe he’s trying to bring on Armageddon and is conditioning us all to want the relief that that would bring from this madness.

[JCMach1]

17. Not it. It's a card to make a deal on an OUT

He currently has 0 leverage.

Paid for in Marine blood. They will be sitting ducks there.